Cleveland Whiskey in Ohio, founder and CEO Tom Lix is a firm believer that technology can accomplish in days what a barrel stashed underground would take a half-decade. Mr. Lix pours his mashes into a stainless steel vat along with chopped up pieces of barrel so that the wood can give the whiskey its traditional brown color. And in days, he emphasizes, many of Cleveland Whiskey’s products are ready for tasting and selling. Some, he says, even in 24 hours. Mr. Lix produced for me his Black Reserve, whose quality of taste is on par with Knob Creek. Its complexity...